Artists welcome CNY with creative goat sculptures

Residents and tourists will be able to see 38 goat sculptures throughout Macau between February 6 and March 1. They have been decorated by local artists from a diverse mix of cultural backgrounds.
The exhibition, titled “Creative Creatures – Art and the Chinese Zodiac”, is being presented in support of the local art project “Anno Caprum”, where artists have each hand-­decorated a 1.3-meter-high fiberglass goat to celebrate Chinese New Year (CNY). The exhibition is supported by the Macau Government Tourist Office and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau.  Twenty of the goats will be displayed throughout Macau, while 18 of them will be displayed at the outdoor area at the Venetian Macao.
Some of the artists are still working very hard on their pieces in the venue provided by Venetian, including Thomas Lo. Born in Macau and having graduated from the department of communication design in Shih Chien University, Taiwan, Lo named his creation – which is partially covered with shiny gems “G.pupa”.  According to Loh, the name is intended to convey the feeling of rebirth. He said that he had never tried this art form before, and wanted to create something unique.
Painting the body of his goat black, Lo wanted people to realize that the colour does not symbolise hopelessness, even in the darkness. “It is a sign of a new beginning,” he said, adding that the piece also shows the conflicts and inconsistencies of human nature.
Another artist, Miguel Botelho, said that his goat will allow the audience to see the old and new Macau from his perspective. Having finished high school in Macau and acquired his university degree in Portugal, Botelho will apply several patterns and elements that he believes are associated with the old Macau and his childhood on the bottom half of the goat. He will then cover the upper half with gold, which represents the new Macau.
Botelho said that he had held the idea to create a patterned piece for more than a year, and had spent around a week coming up with the current design. He hopes that audiences who are familiar with the old Macau can associate with the goat.
Apart from individual artists, two local tertiary institutions, including the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), have taken part in the project. Francisco Leandro, assistant professor from the USJ Faculty of Creative Industries, said that the university wants students other than those who have studied the visual arts to take part in the project. As a result, he said that they have decided to put 32 QR codes on the goat. Audiences will be directed to different webpages showing current affairs when they scan the codes with their cell phones. In fact, the team has already made the QR codes with their 3D printer as a symbol of technological advancement. Nevertheless, it is difficult to put the printed codes on the body of the goat, especially because the goat will be displayed outdoors.
After March 1, all 38 goats will be on display in squares and other locations throughout the city. JPL